Durante and Jasper highlight strongest recruiting class in school history

(Joel Delgado/The Beacon)

(Shawn Stevens/The Beacon)

By Jackson Wolek/ Staff Writer

jackson.wolek@fiusm.com

National Signing Day for college football is where a championship run could begin. It’s where the pieces that you have been assembling all throughout the year in recruiting become assembled into a finished puzzle, ready to suit up for their schools.
“We’re going to find a way to get after the best guys we could possibly find regardless of the competition. We just no longer view ourselves as the little brother school,” head coach Mario Cristobal said.
At Miami Jackson Senior High, it was 5-foot-11, 185-pound wide receiver De’Andre Jasper who signed his letter of intent to become a Panther despite rampant rumors that Cristobal might leave the school just two days before.

To his coach, Nigel Dunn, Cristobal staying not only says a lot about him, but even more about the program and the where it’s headed.

“It says a lot about the program itself,” said Dunn. “ The fact that he would turn those down to stay at FIU, and I still believe that FIU is a better situation because of the talent pool here and the fact that now you have a school in Miami that has their own stadium. I don’t think it was that bad of a deal to do that, I thought it was a smart move.”

Jasper had 11 other schools that offered him scholarships. One of them, Marshall, ironically played against FIU in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl. Although Marshall may have come out on top in that game, it’s the Panthers who were able to come out on top on the recruiting trail.

“Them winning the bowl game and beating FIU wasn’t really that big of a deal, because we have a new season coming up,” Jasper said. “I know were going to be strong this year, and I feel like this is a big program on the rise,” Jasper said.

He finished his senior season with 27 catches for 421 yards and seven touchdowns, ranked 12th in class 5A for Miami-Dade schools. He also made second team All-Dade for the Athlete position.

Jasper will get a chance in practices to go against first team All-Dade defensive back Johnnie Durante from Dr.Krop High. Durante made seven interceptions this year for Krop, four of them returned for touchdowns, all while recording 20 tackles.

In the beginning of the season, Durante says he had no scholarships or recruits asking him to play at their schools. At his official signing of the letter of intent to become a Panther, he had four Payday bars in front of him, to represent the four years he will be at FIU.

(Joel Delgado/The Beacon)

For Durante, he says he always wanted to go to Florida State, but that it was FIU who gave him his first offer. Out of the four other schools that sent him offers (Florida Atlantic, Indiana, Georgia State and South Dakota), Durante visited FIU first on Jan. 6 and made his decision soon after.

“I chose FIU because they stepped up to the plate first and I owe that in return,” said Durante. “I got all these big time offers after the fact, but the question is where they were two months ago.”

According to Durante, Cristobal told him that he was the best player he ever recruited, which is saying a lot coming from a man who once recruited potential third round pick T.Y. Hilton.

Durante, who could be used on both sides of the ball, says his goal is to break Hilton’s records. According to Durante, Cristobal wants him to be happy at whatever position they put him at. But Durante claims he has kick and punt returner duties “on lock.”

“He had himself I believe almost six touchdowns this year on kickoff returns alone,” said Cristobal. “He’s another one of those guys who I think we’re going to be talking about for a long time.”


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